"What?!" Ember sputtered, scrambling to keep up with him. "What do you mean fight? Fight who?!"
Riven didn't answer. His pace was steady, purposeful as he moved through the thickening crowd. Students murmured as he passed, some stepping aside instinctively, sensing the shift in the air around him.
He reached the academy's Record of Power, the massive monolith standing at the heart of the training grounds. The names etched into its surface glowed faintly, their positions shifting constantly as battles were fought and ranks were won or lost.
Riven's gaze swept over the rankings until he found his name—still near the bottom at Rank 218. He exhaled through his nose, his expression unreadable.
Then, without hesitation, his eyes moved upward, scanning the names twenty places above him—the limit of who he was eligible to challenge.
Riven frowned as he noticed Cole's name was now at 186. He must have done some serious training since Riven beat him up.
